It’s not just
conservatives in Congress who still have to be sold on the No Child Left
Behind rewrite. There is still major anxiety from the left — including
the White House — about whether the compromise bill will do enough for
poor and minority kids. During a 30-minute break from the public
conference negotiations Thursday morning, negotiators worked in private
to smooth over concerns from the White House that the bill would strip
too much authority from the Education secretary, Rep. Bobby Scott and
others said. Roberto Rodriguez, deputy assistant for education to
President Barack Obama, came to the Capitol to discuss the issue and was
standing outside the conference room. "Some of us were surprised the
controversy erupted because we were working with people" throughout the
process, Scott said. But it was eventually resolved in a way critics,
including the White House, were satisfied with, he said.

The deal gives states wide berth when it comes to one of
the most contentious issues in education policy: the extent to which
test scores should be used in measuring a school's quality.

Under the new framework, states will have new leeway in deciding how
to measure a school's performance: Schools have to be measured in part
by test scores, graduation rates and English-language proficiency. But
there are also other factors that states can use to rate schools, such
as student and parent engagement and school climate. Those other
measures could account for as much as 49 percent of a school's rating
under the new law, a senior GOP aide confirmed, with measures like test
scores and graduation rates combined counting for 51 percent.

What You Need To Know About The No Child Left Behind Rewrite

After years of trying, Congress is finally on the verge of rewriting the 2002 law.

The Bush-era No Child Left
Behind education law has long been criticized as unworkable, too
punitive and in need of repair. After years of trying, Congress is
finally on the verge of rewriting the 2002 law.

House and Senate negotiators approved a
compromise framework Thursday that merges two different education bills
that cleared the House and Senate in July. Votes in the full House and
Senate are expected early next month.

The Senate bill passed this summer with overwhelming support. The House measure was more conservative, and narrowly passed.

What you need to know about the compromise measure:

----

WHY THE UPDATE?

No Child Left Behind was approved with broad bipartisan support and signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002.

It had lofty goals - to get all children up to
par in reading and math by 2014. But when it became clear that the goal
was unattainable, the Obama administration began to issue waivers to
states. In exchange, the states had to submit federally approved plans
to raise student performance.

Republicans and other critics accused the administration of overreach.

The law has been up for renewal since 2007, but
contentious disagreement over such things as the role of the federal
government in education stymied passage of an updated bill.

---

TESTING

No Child Left Behind required annual testing of
children in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school. The compromise
measure would continue that testing requirement.

However, the bill would let states decide whether
or how to use students' performance on tests to assess teachers,
students and schools - ending federal efforts to tie those scores to
teacher evaluations.

There have been complaints for years from
teachers, parents, students, lawmakers and others about too much testing
in the nation's schools. Even the White House has suggested capping
standardized testing at 2 percent of classroom time.

While the new conference bill doesn't have a mandate about testing caps, it does encourage them.

An amendment from Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat
from Colorado, says states should set caps on the total amount of time
kids spend taking tests. He said federal testing requirements have
resulted in additional layers of state and district level tests, and
some of those may be redundant or unnecessary.

"We ought to think differently about each test.
Testing for teaching and learning needs to be continuous, ongoing, and
inform a teacher's instruction and the principal's leadership," said
Bennett. "It's the testing done for accountability purposes that needs
serious re-evaluation."

---

FEDERAL ROLE IN EDUCATION

The compromise sharply reduces the federal role
in education, giving the states the authority to determine a school's
performance. There would no longer be federal sanctions for schools
judged to be underperforming. However, states would be required to
intervene in the nation's lowest-performing 5 percent of schools, high
school dropout factories and schools with persistent achievement gaps.

The Education Department also would be barred
from mandating or giving states incentives to adopt or maintain any
particular set of standards, such as the college and career-ready
curriculum guidelines known as Common Core.

Common Core has become a lightning rod for those
who sought a reduced federal role in education, even though the
standards were created by the states. The Obama administration, however,
dangled grants through its Race to the Top program for states that
adopted strong academic standards for its students.

---

PORTABILITY

Republicans had pushed the concept of portability
- allowing money to follow low-income students to public schools of
their choice. Now, those dollars remain at the struggling schools.

Democrats had fought against the concept and the
compromise bill includes only a pilot program that would allow federal
money to move with students in some school districts.

----

WHITE HOUSE

The White House had threatened to veto the bill
passed by the House in July and also expressed dissatisfaction with the
Senate's version of the bill.

After the compromise was approved on Thursday, it struck a more optimistic tone.

An administration official, speaking on condition
of anonymity, said the measure that emerged from the conference
committee was an improvement over the versions that passed the House and
Senate this summer. But the official, who could not speak publicly
because details of the bill were still under review, stopped short of
saying whether President Barack Obama would sign in it.

----

REACTION

-"Today's conference committee vote is another
encouraging step in the process to update the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act, and on behalf of state chiefs, I applaud the work of the
committee," said Chris Minnich, executive director of the Council of
Chief State School Officers. "The framework maintains annual assessments
and gives states additional flexibility in how to design better
accountability systems."

-"We are on our way to a new environment in
public education. The Senate-House conference report resets education
policy with a focus on student learning rather than student testing,
while maintaining resources to students with the most needs," said
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. "It creates
the potential to bring back the joy of teaching and learning and to
really prepare our kids for their future."

----

NEXT STEPS

The conference committee will have the full bill ready for lawmakers to read by Nov. 30.

The House would vote sometime that week, as early
as Dec. 2. Republican Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who sponsored the
original Senate bill with Democrat Patty Murray of Washington, said he
wants senators to have a full week to read the bill before a vote.

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KSN&C is intended to be a place for well-reasoned civil discourse...not to suggest that we don’t appreciate the witty retort or pithy observation. Have at it. But we do not invite the anonymous flaming too often found in social media these days. This is a destination for folks to state your name and speak your piece.

It is important to note that, while the Moderator serves as Faculty Regent for Eastern Kentucky University, all comments offered by the Moderator on KSN&C are his own opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of the Board of Regents, the university administration, faculty, or any members of the university community.

On KSN&C, all authors are responsible for their own comments. See full disclaimer at the bottom of the page.

Why This Blog?

So far as we know, we only get one lifetime. So, when I "retired" in 2004, after 31-years in public education I wanted to do something different. I wanted to teach, write and become a student again. I have since spent a decade in higher ed.

I have listened to so many commentaries over the years about what should be done to improve Kentucky's schools - written largely by folks who have never tried to manage a classroom, run a school, or close an achievement gap. I came to believe that I might have something to offer.

I moved, in 1985, from suburban northern Kentucky to what was then the state’s flagship district - Fayette County. I have had a unique set of experiences to accompany my journey through KERA’s implementation. I have seen children grow to graduate and lead successful lives. I have seen them go to jail and I have seen them die. I have been amazed by brilliant teachers, dismayed by impassive bureaucrats, disappointed by politicians and uplifted by some of Kentucky’s finest school children. When I am not complaining about it, I will attest that public school administration is critically important work.

Democracy is run by those who show up. In our system of government every citizen has a voice, but only if they choose to use it.

This blog is totally independent; not supported or sponsored by any institution or political organization. I will make every effort to fully cite (or link to) my sources. Please address any concerns to the author.

On the campaign trail...with my wife Rita

An action shot: The Principal...as a much younger man.

Faculty Senate Chair

Serving as Mace Bearer during the Inauguration of Michael T. Benson as EKU's 12th president.

Teaching

EDF 203 in EKU's one-room schoolhouse.

Professin'

Lecturing on the history of Berea College to Berea faculty and staff, 2014.

Faculty Regent

One in a long series of meetings. 2016

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